Everything is different
by The Nancinator
Summary: At the start of James Potter's 7th year at Hogwarts, his new GF Lily Evans is getting between him and the Marauders. But what happens when all of them stumble across mysterious Portal? It's going to be very strange for James..(please R/R, its my 1st one!)
1. A new year begins

As the sweltering summer of 1975 came and went, countless youths who had been gallivanting about and celebrating their long holiday were now melancholy and grim upon their upcoming return to school. An exception to this great mass of students was a tall, scrawny 17 year old boy with jet black hair. His name was James Potter. No, the reason he yearned to go to school wasn't that he didn't enjoy his life at home. There was just something about the comforting surroundings of the Hogwarts castle that life at his own home could never bring. And he could always count on his closest group of friends, know as the marauders, to make the school year much more.. Well… interesting . Besides all that, he had a life at school that many others could only dream of having: he was extremely smart, handsome, popular, and had a beautiful girlfriend that he cared for deeply. With all this, you couldn't blame him for counting down the days until he would return.  
  
After many weeks of waiting, the day had finally come in which he would return to school. As he passed through the familiar barrier that transported him to platform 9 ¾, he spotted his fellow marauders waiting patiently for him.  
  
"Hey, James! How have you been?" approached Remus warmly.  
  
"Yo, James! How's it going?" questioned a laid back Sirius.  
  
"Why hello James!" squeaked an admiring Peter.  
  
"Fine, Fine." James Muttered quickly. "Listen, Have any of you see Lily around here? She told me by owl that she meet me before we get on the train and-"  
  
"Oh ,so you cant give your best pals a proper greeting before you swoon over your precious girlfriend? I thought the marauders meant more to you than that!" Fumed Sirius. He couldn't stand her anymore.  
  
"It's not that I'm not glad to see you all, its just, well… I've been hanging out with you guys all summer, and I haven't really seen Lily since the end of Last term, that's all. So don't get all defensive, alright?"   
  
James shot a look over to his best friend that Sirius had not yet seen before. It was as if James was attempting to shoot daggers straight through him simply with his glare. "Sorry James. You know, I was just Joking with you…"  
  
But the truth was that Sirius had not been joking with him. Throughout the past year, the relationship between James and Sirius had become somewhat strained. In the old days, James would do anything for his closest friends. They were inseparable; always sneaking off in the middle of the night to begin another mischievous adventure. By the end of the last term, however, James was spending those evenings sneaking around school with Lily. Why had she become so interested in him all of a sudden anyways? Before 6th year she practically loathed him because of his arrogance, and now she was even closer to him than the marauders. However, Sirius supposed he should drop the subject before James became even more irritated.  
  
"Well, I suppose we should board the train before it departs without us." Suggested Reumus, trying desperately to break the deafening silence. Then, noting the look of apprehension on James' face, he added " We can keep an eye out for Lily once we get on the train."  
  
Once they had boarded the train, it departed from the station and began its trek to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and Wizardry. The foursome headed down the corridor in search of Lily and an empty compartment to sit in. At the very end of the train they had found Lily seated by herself .   
  
"There you are!" shouted James as he approached her. He didn't believe it was possible, but she had grown even more beautiful over the summer holiday. Her glistening red hair had grown over the summer and now fell to a mid back length. But what James loved most about her appearance was her eyes: their almond shape along with their brilliant emerald green color gave her a radiance that made James melt.   
  
"Oh James, I'm so sorry, but I couldn't find you! I just decided to come on the train before it left!" exclaimed a worried Lily.   
  
"Don't worry about it," smirked James. Lily always loved when he did that. "You know me. Always late for everything."  
  
After a minute or so Sirius broke in. "Well are you two gonna sit there and stare at each other for the rest of the trip, or can we go inside and sit down?"   
  
"Oh. Yes. Sorry about that." replied a rather embarrassed James.   
  
Throughout most of the train journey the conversation was light; They talked about everything from what happened over the summer to quidditch, to how lovely the weather had been. Once the number of topics for conversation dwindled, Peter whispered "So… has anyone heard anything about You-Know-who?"  
  
"Wormtail, at least have some common sense and call him by his name. It's Voldemort." vented James.   
  
"Alright then. Has anyone heard anything about… Voldemort?" Peter shuddered and looked at himself in disgust as though he had just said a very dirty swear word.   
  
"Calm down, Wormtail." barked Sirius. "Well, as you all know, my parents are the kind of nasty people who believe what this nutter is doing is noble, so they are in on everything that's going on." He paused, and then continued. "As I was packing last night, I overheard them talking about him. It seems he's gone and gathered some followers. You know, people like my parents who think muggle-borns are scum." He glanced over in Lily's direction, who was the only muggle-born in the compartment. He waited to see if she had a comment about what he had just said, but none came So he persisted. "Anyways, these follwers are calling themselves Death Eaters."  
  
"Yea well I'll bet you a million galleons that little Snivellus will become one of those, the slimy git!" said James through clenched teeth. Lily, who disproved of James' tormenting of Severus Snape, pretended not to hear that comment.   
  
Remus entered the conversation "Well what I'm worried about is, who's trying to stop Voldemort?"   
  
"Dumbledores got that all under control. I got an owl from him over break." James slipped in casually, hoping that no one would notice.  
  
"WHAT? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?" screamed the other three marauders.  
  
"Well, I can't tell you what as in it right now… but I will when the time is right." James said, looking truly sorry that he couldn't share this information with the rest of his friends.  
  
This was it for Sirius. In a fit of anger he screamed, "Oh yea, but I'm sure you told Lily, now didn't you?"  
  
"FOR YOUR INFORMATION I DIDN'T! THE FIRST PERSON I WAS PLANNING ON TELLING WAS YOU! EVER SINCE LILY AND I STARTED GOING OUT YOU'VE BEEN ACTING SO COLD TOWARDS ME SIRIUS, AND I DON'T' UNDERSTAND! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"  
  
James looked truly perturbed. Suddenly Sirius regretted all of the comments he had said about James and Lily.  
  
"Look, buddy, I'm sorry… I didn't think it would get to you…"  
  
"Yea, whatever, Just don't' talk to me right now, okay? Let's go Lily."   
  
He burst out of the door, pulling at Lily's hand as he went. With a look of disbelief on her face, Lily followed her boyfriend out.  
  
"Well then…" began Remus as the door slammed behind Lily. "That went well."  
  
Sirius, who had never fought with his best friend in the many years of knowing him, looked on the verge of tears. 


	2. Reconciliation

Well… I've been working out what direction this story is going to head in, but I decided to wait to put that until later . I hope you like what I've got so far. Please review! It's my first fan-fic, and I'd like to have an idea of how I'm doing *crosses fingers* Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Reconciliation   
  
The first week or so of the new term dragged on endlessly for the marauders. Never before had the group been severed in such a way; never before had Remus or Peter had to choose sides. Throughout this time, James strolled about the Hogwarts campus with Lily. On the other hand, Sirius spent his days sulking around the Gryffindor common room, looking utterly and completely lost without the company of his best friend.   
  
"Sirius," began Peter one evening as they sat doing homework in the common room, "If you're going to be so miserable, why don't you just go and apologize to James?"  
  
"Just shut up, okay?" muttered Sirius moodily.  
  
"You know he's right, though." added Remus, hoping not to upset his friend even more. "James has been in a right state also, and I really think you two should stop acting like 5 year olds and end this."  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, Sirius was on his feet, shouting at the top of his lungs to the only two friends he had left. "OH YEA? WELL I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM TOO UPSET ABOUT IT! HES ALWAYS RUNNING AROUND WITH HER!"   
  
"Just get a grip Sirius!" retorted Remus firmly. "That's how this whole situation began. You know that James has feelings for Lily, and that's what scares you! You think you're gonna loose your best friend! Well, I'll tell you. If you keep this attitude going, you WILL!"  
  
Sirius looked taken aback by his friends sudden outburst. Observing this look, Remus continued in a much more mellow tone. "I've been talking with Lily and she says James just isn't the same. He sulks around and won't admit that he wants to still be friends with you. So do us all a favor and just reconcile, alright?"  
  
He sat for a moment, pondering the words Reumus had just said. For the first time in days, a smile spread across young Sirius Black's face. He stood up and strut out the common room in search of his best friend.  
  
Meanwhile, Lily and James were enjoying time with each other over by the lake. They lay sprawled out upon the ground, hand in hand, gazing up at the night sky.  
  
"You know, I've never felt this way about anyone in my entire life" began James as he scotched closer and closer to Lily.  
  
"What, the irresistible James has never had a crush before?" Lily giggled and stared into he boyfriends eyes. She could think of hoards of girls that would die to be in her place right now. But it was her that was in a close embrace with the great James Potter. Less than a year ago she would have never though she would be doing this. His constant arrogance drove her to the breaking point. However, this past year was different. He was different. She still could not bring herself from looking away from those hazel eyes.   
  
James grinned from ear to ear. "This is much, much more than a crush, and you know it too. I know you do." He slowly sat up, and Lily followed suit.   
  
"Yes."  
  
"The truth is, I love you Lily Evans."  
  
As these words departed from James' mouth, the two were not more than an inch apart from each other. He embraced her and they shared a passionate kiss. This was a kiss unlike either of the two had ever experienced before.   
  
  
  
Having been tipped off of James' where-abouts from the illusive Peeves, he headed down to the lake. Over and over again he ran through his head what he was about to tell his best friend. You're almost there he though to himself. As he turned the bend, however, he was taken aback. There was his best friend James, making out with Lily. Jeez, he really seems to be enjoying this though Sirius to himself. For some unknown reason, his feet felt as if they were composed of lead. As hard as he tried, they would not budge from the spot.   
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" shouted James in outrage. He had broken off his tender kiss with Lily with an expression of shock on his face.   
  
"Well… to tell you the truth, I came to apologize to you, if you can believe it."   
  
James got to his feet, preparing to leave.  
  
"Wait just one minute James Potter!" Shrieked Lily. "I know just as well as you that you've been miserable since you two fought. So make up with him right now!"  
  
James wanted nothing more but to be on speaking terms with Sirius again; he was just one of those people that were not sure of how you go about doing that.   
  
"I-" he began.  
  
"I know." Sirius looked up at James. Words weren't needed to know that they had reached a reconciliation. They exchanged smiles, and hugged each other briefly.  
  
"Well, it's about time." explained Lily. "Sirius, you have no idea how miserable he has been these past few days. He told me that being with me is so much different that with you, and he missed it." They looked at each other, and Sirius observed an expression of admiration from Lily. He came to the conclusion that Lily wasn't as terrible as he made her out to be.  
  
"Well… I suppose we should head back up to the castle." whispered Lily after a few breif moments of silence. "I hear that new caretaker Filch is a monster."  
  
"Ah, well, it's nothing we can't handle." piped James and Sirius in unison as their faces cracked into identical grins. James pulled a tattered piece of parchment from under his robes.  
  
"Our greatest creation. How I love you!" Sirius grabbed the parchment and danced gleefully at the sight of it.  
  
"What in the world is that thing?"  
  
"The Marauders map. An extensive diagram of the Hogwarts grounds." James' grin broadened as he unfolded the paper. "These little dots represent every person roaming the halls of the school."  
  
"So that's how you all never get caught."   
  
"Precisely"   
  
James grabbed his invisibility cloak from the banks of the lake. "Well. Lets get going then."  
  
The three, under the security of the invisibility cloak, marauders map in hand, strode silently through the halls and back into the comforts of the Gryffindor common room. 


	3. The Portal

Chapter 3: The Portal  
  
A blustery Autumn morning had never in his life seemed more breathtaking than today. James had just awoken from a brief slumber and was gazing out upon the school grounds. Without the aid of his glasses, he could just make out the figures of what appeared to be students, taking advantage of this magnificent day. But I suppose, he thought to himself rather suddenly, the weather wasn't the reason for my lifted spirit. As he turned from the window to look about his dormitory, he remembered the events of the previous night. Him and Sirius were friends again, The marauders were back. James walked over to his bedside table to retrieve his glasses. The others were beginning to stir.  
  
"Hey buddy, what you doin' up so early?" questioned Sirius rather sleepily.   
  
Having no real reason for his early awakening, James replied, "Ah, nothing. Just couldn't sleep that well."   
  
Grunts from the two other four-posters in the dormitory had let them know Remus and Peter were awake as well. After the group had departed from their beds and dressed , they strolled down to the common room. James and Sirius began their usual antics of bewitching the furniture (they found great pleasure in watching the first years scream as they sat in a reclining chair, only to discover that it enclosed them as the chair twisted and writhed around them).   
  
"Well, I'm happy to see that you two are back to normal…" began Remus, "but I thought that maybe this year you two would exercise a little control over your trouble-making." Being a Gryffindor prefect, Remus seemed obliged to inform his friends when they had gone too far.  
  
"Oh come on Moony, we're just having a little fun. It's our last year, you know, and we'd really like to go out in style." James grinned at Sirius' comment. It was their life dream to be known as the greatest troublemakers in the history of Hogwarts, and this year was their last chance to make a lasting impression.   
  
"What on Earth are you doing?" came a voice, coming from the girls dormitories. They glanced over in that direction, only to see a disgruntled Lily standing in the entranceway.   
  
"We were just-, I was-" began James, searching desperately for a valid reason for his and Sirius' antics.  
  
"It's just, I'm disappointed James, that's all. I thought that you, having your new position, would be better behaved. Set an example for other students."   
  
"What is she talking about?" inquired Remus.   
  
James looked rather upset. "I don't want you all to be upset at me for not telling you, but we had that argument before I even had the chance to." He glanced from Sirius, to Remus, to Peter. Having just reunited with the marauders on the previous evening, instigating a new feud was that last thing he wanted to occur.   
  
"Tell us what?" barked Sirius. He didn't wish to be angry with James anymore, but the thought of his best friend keeping something from him was more than he could bear.   
  
"I'm… I'm…" the expression an James' face changed to a rather uncomfortable one. What were they going to think when he informed them? Mustering up all of the strength possible, he said, "I'm head boy. Satisfied now?"  
  
The jaws of the three remaining marauders dropped in unison. "WHAT?"  
  
Remus seemed to be the most shocked by this revelation. "Why in the world would Dumbledore do that? I mean, you've caused more trouble than any other kid in our year, with the exception of Sirius of course." Sirius gave a smirk, exemplifying his pride.  
  
"He seems to think it best. He's never lead me wrong before, so I trust him." replied James. He turned to Sirius, eager to find some appearance of approval on the face of his best friend. The grin was still on his face as he turned to James.  
  
"Well, you know what this means…" began Sirius. "WE HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER!"  
  
James, ecstatic over his friends reaction, gave Sirius an energized high-five.   
  
Lily walked out of the room, headed out the portrait of the fat lady, muttering to herself something that sounded like "Boys…"   
  
  
  
Classes for Lily and the Marauders had become quite unbearable over the following weeks. As professor McGonagall had pointed out during their latest Transfiguration lesson, N.E.W.T.S were to be administered at the end of the year, which meant a tremendous amount of work for the seventh years. Anywhere you went, you'd find a seventh year pouring themselves over a book or scratching a piece of parchment furiously with a quill. Even James and Sirius, whom everything always seemed to come easily to, were spotted studying diligently in the common room on occasion. During a particular study session, Lily and the marauders were seated beneath a giant oak tree that overlooked the lake. Remus, Lily, and Peter were engrossed in reading material. On the other hand, James and Sirius were whispering secretly between each other; no doubt they were planning some fresh new adventure.   
  
Peter, looking utterly perplexed, pulled his head from his potions essay and questioned " Does anyone know the ingredients you need to make the Draught of Peace?"  
  
James broke off his conversation with Sirius and commented, "Come on Wormtail, that's fifth year material!" Sometimes he was bewildered at the stupidity of his friend.  
  
"Well, some of us can't be as smart as the great James Potter and Sirius Back!" he retorted with a slight quaver in his voice.   
  
James didn't mean to upset Peter; he usually wasn't upset when James made comments of that sort. For the next half hour, James assisted Peter on his Potions essay, hoping Peter would forgive him. But after a while, even Lily was growing restless from studying.   
  
"It's time for a little fun," began Sirius, "…Marauder style."  
  
  
  
The time was now dusk. The sun had disappeared from view, but James could still distinguish the dim glow of it's rays from beyond the horizon, creating a magnificent spectrum of colors throughout the evening sky. An aroma of freshly fallen leaves filled the air as Lily and the Marauders crossed the school grounds. Aided by James' trusty invisibility cloak, the grounds were theirs to roam freely. This particular evening, the group decided to head towards the shrieking shack. But seeing as it wasn't yet full moon, and Lily was not an animagus, they had to utilize and alternate route they had not yet used. So with the marauders map in hand, they headed towards the lake. It was told by some that under a bank in the lake resided a secret tunnel to the shack.   
  
"I really hope that this tunnel thing exists." gasped Lily." "It's getting really chilly out."  
  
"James, please remind your girlfriend that the marauders ALWAYS know what they're doing." grunted Sirius. But James didn't have to. Lily understood.   
  
"Ouch, James. Will you stop stepping on my feet?" Wormtail gasped as, for the sixth time, James had trodden over his feet.  
  
"Sorry, buddy. But it's a tad hard to keep an eye out for your feet when were all packed in this cloak like sardines." James was quite right. They had managed to hide the four marauders in the cloak many times previously, but with the addition of Lily (and the fact that they had all grown a considerable amount), doing so was now a near impossible feat.   
  
"We're almost there," reassured Remus as they rounded the bend. They now found themselves standing in a small ditch at the base of the lake.  
  
"To get to the entrance, we have to wade through the lake for a bit." said James.   
  
And for the next ten minutes or so they walked through the scum and muck, until they came across a gaping hole in the side of the cliff. But this couldn't possibly be an ordinary tunnel, James thought. It stood about 10 feet tall, and confined within it was a violet, gaseous substance that swirled and churned around. The great portal let off a bitter gust of air that made each of the five shudder violently. James leaned forward to touch this mysterious substance, when Lily lurched forward and pulled him back.   
  
"What'd you do that for?" shouted James.  
  
"Are you nutters?" Lily looked thoroughly upset. "You don't know what in the world that is or what it would do to you!"  
  
"But we're going to find out, aren't we?" inquired Sirius. It seemed that only him and James were eager to investigate this mysterious portal.   
  
"Of course we are." He was now staring straight at Lily; directly into those brilliantly green eyes of hers. "Come on Lil. It's a real adventure. I promise I'd never let anything happen to you."   
  
"Well… alright then." replied Lily rather hesitantly.   
  
Sirius was ecstatic. He looked around for the approval of Remus and Peter. They too agreed, giving a slight nod.  
  
"It's settled then." pronounced James, appearing as though Christmas had come early. "We'll all go through together. On the count of three."  
  
Gathering closely around James, the group prepared to walk through. Lily embraced James tightly, frightened beyond all belief.   
  
"Okay then." He gulped, attempting to suppress a lump in his throat around the size of a golf ball. He would not let the others know, but fear was now flooding into every fiber of him "One… two… three."  
  
And with the final count, the five strode forward into the unknown. James could feel the immense cold saturate his body, and within seconds he was soaring through the substance at an enormous speed. There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach and he knew that he was going to be sick. The tunnel seemed to carry on interminably. Soon, James was only vaguely aware that the others were still surrounding him; all thought was leaking from his mind. 


	4. An Unexpected Meeting

To any of you who have actually been keeping up with my story: Sorry its been soooo long since the last time I updated. I had already predetermined what those first few chapters were going to be about before I even wrote the story, so after that point I developed a bit of a writers block. (I also kinda wanted to start a new story , so I have been working a tid on that) So as you will find out in your reading, this chapter is FAR from good (well, to me). But I hope you will find it in your heart to like my story anyways and keep reading. (being the perfectionist I am, I'll probably go back and re-write this chapter later) So without further ado, ONWARDS!   
  
*Note to readers: all characters thoughts will be in'' because I haven't figured how to work the italics on this site.   
  
Chapter 4: An unexpected Meeting  
  
James Potter lay sprawled out across an inundated patch of earth, his body trembling. As he slowly began to regain consciousness, memories of that mysterious purple substance flooded his mind. 'Where am I?' he thought to himself, not daring to open his eyes. The last thing he could remember was walking into that Portal, in the dead of night. However, James now felt the comforting warmth of sunlight penetrating his skin. Slowly he cracked open his eyelids, fearing what was about to be revealed. But the result turned out to be something unexpected: they were still in Hogwarts, lying in the same location as when they had entered the portal. James surveyed the grounds in an utterly perplexed state. Moments later, the others began to stir.   
  
"Where are we?" Sirius had just awoken, and was equally puzzled.   
  
James was still looking around. "I believe we're still in Hogwarts."  
  
"But how could we… the last thing I remember was going through that portal, and it was night time then." Stated Peter, who was caressing a rather large bruise located on his temple.   
  
"Oh my goodness, the Portal!" bellowed Lily. "it's gone!"  
  
And she was indeed correct; the once massive hole located in the side of the cliff had completely vanished from sight. Utterly bewildered, Remus, Peter, Lily, Sirius, and James all rose in unison to investigate. Lily ran her hand across the smooth surface, and a tear began to trickle down her cheek.   
  
"You promised nothing like this would happen!" roared Lily in outrage. Her tears had multiplied and were streaming down her face rapidly. "I believed you, but I should have had more common sense!" She rose her hand to give James a firm slap in the face, until Remus intervened.  
  
"Who says anything bad has happened? I mean, these are still the school grounds, aren't they?" Lily's hand froze in midair, then gradually fell to her side. Remus' eyes darted between the two before continuing. "There IS a possibility that we could have been knocked out by that purple… stuff… and, for some reason or another, woke up several hours later."  
  
The suggestion had made complete sense. James suddenly felt moronic for jumping to conclusions in such a manner; it was had been very uncharacteristic of him. But for a reason he could not quite put his finger on, there was a bizarre feeling of foreboding in the recesses of his mind, informing him that something was *still* not quite right. But lacking better judgment, he quickly shunned the thought. James grabbed hold of Lilly's waist, pulling her into a tight embrace. She too grabbed hold, grinning. It was so difficult for her to stay angry with him. They drew nearer and nearer towards each other until they collided into a heartwarming kiss. The remaining members of the group now stood, doused in silence.   
  
"We should head back up to the castle." stated Peter, ignoring James and Lily in their moment of passion. "Breakfast has probably started without us!"   
  
They proceeded from the shores of the lake, up the sloping hills, and across the grounds on their journey to the castle. All the while, Sirius felt rather uneasy. He noticed a significant number of inaccuracies in his surrounding environment. For one, there stood quite a few odd changes in the shrubbery. But Sirius figured that noticing these erroneous changes was just another side affect of being a dog animagus. 'No need to be paranoid', he thought to himself.   
  
However, not even the remaining marauders could ignore the fact that all of the surrounding students were completely unrecognizable. Every inch they strode became harder for them to not notice.  
  
"Uhhh.. Is it me, or do these people look kinda funny to you?" exclaimed a worried Peter through his high pitched voice.   
  
"Yea, I agree with Peter," began Lily, her hand now staring to tremble in James' grip. "I'm staring to get a little nervous again… I've never seen these people in my life." She glanced over her shoulder to survey the individuals surrounding her. There was a tall, pale faced boy with blonde hair accompanied by two rather large boys standing about 5 feet to the right of her. To her left, a group of three sat under the same tree where she had just recently finished studying with the marauders. One of the inhabitants was a girl, around the age of sixteen, with frizzy brown hair. Next to her sat a tall, gangly boy around the same age, with flaming red hair and several freckles. Her attention then focused on the third boy. Everything about him, from his untidy jet black hair to his scrawny figure, seemed oddly familiar to her. After a moments pondering, a look of comprehension dawned upon her face.  
  
"Oh my goodness, James! Look at that boy over there. Is that… is that YOU?  
  
"Huh?"  
  
James turned his head in the direction Lily was referring to. There sat a teenage boy around the same age as himself. He could see why she had made this connection: this boy could practically pass for his twin! Well… almost. Surveying him closely, James detected a great difference in the eyes. They were not the large hazel eyes that James had himself, but instead were a brilliant shade of green. 'Where Have I seen those eyes before?' he thought to himself.   
  
Almost instantaneously, those green eyes looked up and met his. The two locked glances briefly before their friends ripped them apart.   
  
James heard the red haired boy whisper discreetly into his look-alike's ear. "Harry… who is that?"  
  
The boy was now standing with a mixed look of bewilderment and amazement upon his face. Slowly he rose to his feet and began to make his way towards the marauders and Lily. "It's… no, it can't be. That's impossible. It cant be. Can it?" The boys friends followed him closely, until they were standing directly in front of him.   
  
James decided that it would be he who made the first advance, but the oddly familiar stranger had beaten him to it.  
  
"Er, are you my Da-" he cut his words off quickly, looking rather nervous. "No. What I meant to say was, are you… are you James Potter?"   
  
Many wild thoughts began to stir fretfully in James' head. How in the world did he know who I am? Could he be a servant working with Voldemort who was stationed here at Hogwarts to confuse him? He shook his head vigorously. Surely Dumbledore would be aware of that. 'You must think rationally, James.'   
  
Still, he felt rather hesitant to reveal this information. But the dim-witted Peter didn't seem to understand. With a smile on his face, he blurted loudly, "Yes indeed he is. The one and only James Potter!" James, Remus, Sirius, and Lily turned in unison and shot Wormtail the most scrutinizing glare imaginable. 'How could he be so thick!' But as James looked upon the face of the boy called Harry, he has never seen anyone look less threatening. On the contrary; the boy looked as if all of his dreams had suddenly become reality.  
  
"Then.. You must be Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter." This was more a statement than a question, and it came not from the boy, but from the bushy haired girl standing to his left.  
  
"Yes." replied Lily, with a hint of interest in her voice as to where this interrogation was leading to.   
  
The red haired boy to their right clapped his hands to his already gasping mouth. This was now becoming a bit too confusing for James. He decided that it was time for him to ask a few questions as well.  
  
"Ok, who in the world are you and how do you know who we are?' exclaimed James in the most blunt manner possible. "Have we met?"  
  
"Erm…" began James' look alike. " Well, we have met… in a manner of speaking." He shifted uncomfortably. "My name is Harry… Harry Potter."  
  
This was followed by a deafening silence; everyone seemed to be completely lost for words.  
  
"So then," began James after several moments pause. Nothing had been cleared up yet, and he was (if possible) even more bewildered. "Are we related?"   
  
"Yea." replied Harry as James' trademark grin began to form upon his face. "I'm your son."   
  
"WHAT?" James's jaw dropped open at this revelation. It couldn't be true; it was impossible.  
  
That mischievous grin still occupied Harry's face. As ludicrous as this had sounded, seeing his own smile on the face of another person had given James an inkling that it could very well be the truth.   
  
"Did that Portal bring us to the future?" questioned a trembling Lily from behind. James almost jumped at the sound of her voice.   
  
" I guess so." replied Sirius. He did not look phased at all by the fact that they had been transported to another time. This was a real treat for him: a real marauder adventure.  
  
But for the first time, James had not been occupying his mind with thoughts of marauder adventures. This was something much deeper. He looked up at Harry, "So then…"  
  
"I suppose we should get you all up to Dumbledore's office so we can figure out what in the bloody hell is going on here." responded Harry. So along with his two other friends, he began making his way into the castle. James, along with Lily and the remaining marauders, followed hurriedly in their haste.  
  
As they swept through the corridors of the great castle ,all James could do was watch Harry. 'Could this really be my son?' was all that ran through his mind. He noticed that Harry looked over in his direction on several occasions also. On the occasion their eyes met, they had conveyed a thought of understanding: This had been all too bizarre for one day.   
  
**Okay, so that sucked. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible, but seeing as though I now have a job and band camp coming up soon, I can't make any promises. Bah! It's 3:10 in the morning and I'm going to bed! 


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